Illuminated changeable exhibitor.



F. P. BESSETTE.

ELLUMINATED CHANGEABLE EXHIBITOR.

RENEWED 00122. ms.

APPLICATION HLED JULYI3, I917.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

T cm 5111 wen 5oz WCVJ ene FRANCIS P. BESSETTE, 0F WICHITA, KANSAS.

ILLUMINATED CHANGEABLE EXHIBITOR.

Application filed July 13, 1917, Serial No. 180,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS P- Bnssn'r'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Changea-ble Exhibitors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to illuminated changeable exhibitors of the double reel and web type and adapted to display selected combinations of words, letters, numbers, etc., in day or night service.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the reels and webs removed from the receptacle, and

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the bottom of the receptacle.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral 1 designates an end door hinged at 2 to the top wall 3 of the receptacle and provided at 4 with a resilient catch adapted to engage a pin 5 projecting downwardly from the bottom wall 6 of the receptacle. The top and bottom walls are connected by side walls, each cut out to provide exhibiting openings 7, and each having flange portions 8 and 9 respectively above and below said openings 7 and also flange portions 10 and 11 on opposite ends of said opening 7. Division strips 12 separate or divide said exhibiting opening 7 into sections wherein the figures to be displayed are brought to view as will be later set forth. Strips 14, similar to those 12 except in being narrower and not being exposed to view, are, like strips 12, located within the receptacle and bear against the flanges 8 and 9. Of course, if the flanges 10 and 11 are eliminated, or reduced in width, the strips 14,there being one at each end,will then be exposed to view, but in a carefully constructed device or one in the elected form the flanges 10 and 11 will completely conceal the terminal strips 14, the strips 12 alone being exposed to view.

The strips 12 and 14 have their upper and lower ends folded over to provide portions 15 which latter are spaced from the mair Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Renewed October 22, 1918. Serial No. 259,298.

body of said strips, and in the spaces so provided are slid glass plates 16, portions 15 exerting clamping pressure upon the glass plates to prevent relative displacement of the parts. Extending toward the interior of the receptacle are horizontal arm portions 17 and 18, the upper ones 17 being in parallel relation to the lower ones 18 and all of them terminatin in coincidence. Two glass plates 19 are arranged within the receptacle in spaced parallel relation, and like the glass plates 16, extend from one end to the other of the receptacle. The glass plates 19 engage with the top and bottom walls 3 and 6 respectively of the receptacle, and both sets of plates 16 and 19 engage with the closed end 20 and the hinged door 1 of the receptacle. The interior of the receptacle is illuminated by an electric or other light device 21, the supporting member 22 for which is secured by a set screw 24 or other suitable means to a collar 25 provided on the bottom wall 6 as by Hanging the latter downwardly. The receptacle may be equipped with more than one light by merely duplicating the arrangement just described. The light device 21 is located between the inner pair of glass plates 19, and its heat prevented by said glass plates 19 from passing from the chamber formed by said plates into other parts of the receptacle to injure any part of the device. The glass plates 19 are held in place by frames 26 riveted at 27 to the top and bottom walls of the receptacle, though the rivets are not essential as the frames being formed of strip metal of more or less yield? ing nature will exert some slight pressure outwardly upon the glass plates 19, forcing them against the terminal ends of the upper and lower arms 17 and 18 of the strips 12 and 14. Thus, the strips 12 and 14 are held against the flanges of the front and rear walls of the receptacle by the pressure of the glass plates 19 under pressure of the frames 26. Were the bends at the corners of the frames 26 sharp, no such pressure arm portions 17 and enter axially the upper ends of the reels 83 and may be threaded therein if desired. Above the arm portions 17 and bearing thereagainst are washers 35 also loose on the pins 34 and between the heads of the pins 34 and the washers and surrounding the pins are coil springs 36. These springs, bearing against the washers 35 at one end and the pin heads at the other end, force at all times the reels upwardly with the upper ends of the reels in engagement with the lower faces of the arm portions 17. The lower ends of the reels extend through the bottom wall 6 of the receptacle, apertures 38 being provided therefor, and in addition to the clamping action of the portions 15 of the strips upon the glass plates 16, the reels passing through said apertures 38, serve to prevent displacement of the strips 12 and 14 lengthwise of the glass plates 16, in the prevention of which pressure of the glass plates 19 upon the arm portions 17 and 18 assist due to the pressure of the frames 26. As illustrated in Fig. 4:, the flange of the door 1 may be notched as at l0 to accommodate the reels 83 at that end of the receptacle.

The strips 12 are the same structurally as those 14 except that they accommodate two reels in each instance while the strips lei each accommodate a single reel as illustrated in Fig. 3. Between adjacent strips extend webs 45 which bear the display characters, and by manipulating the reels 33 various combinations of display characters may be exhibited.

The method of supporting the receptacle is immaterial to this invention as circumstances of use govern the mounting.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is I 1. In a changeable exhibitor, a receptacle having an apertured wall, a transparent plate within the receptacle, changeable exhibiting elements, and means yieldingly embracing the plate and supporting said exhibiting elements, said means passing between the plate and receptacle and dividing said aperture into exhibiting sections.

2. In a changeable exhibitor, a receptacle having an apertured wall, a transparent plate within the receptacle, changeable exhibiting elements, a source of light, a second transparent plate between said source of tween the. same and receptacle and dividing the aperture into exhibiting sections, said reels extending through. the receptacle.

4. In a changeable exhibitor, a receptacle 1 having an apertured wall, a transparent plate within the receptacle, reels, webs, means in which the reels are ournaled, said means attached to the plate and passing be tween the same and receptacle and dividing the aperture into exhibiting sections, said reels extending through the receptacle, a source of light, and a second transparent plate between the source of light and webs and engaging said means.

5. A changeable exhibitor comprising a receptacle having apertured opposite walls, a pair of spaced inner transparentv plates, a source of light between said plates, changeable exhibiting elements between the said plates and apertured walls, outer transparent plates between the changeable exhibiting elements and. apertured walls, means embracing the outer plates and mounting the changeable exhibiting elements and passing between the outer plates and apertured walls, and means between the inner plates forcing the same into engagement with said first means.

6. In a changeable exhibitor, a plurality of spaced parallel members having division portions and parallel free end ,portions, reels journaled in the free end portions, webs connecting reels of adjacent members, and a transparent plate passing between the division portions of id members and the webs, said members aving clamping engagement with the plate.

In'testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS P. BESSETTE.

Witnesses: 1

JosnPH BOWMAN,

J. J. WRIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

